1. Field of the Invention
The illustrative embodiment of the present invention relates generally to data communication networks and in particular to web servers within data communications networks. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to providing web-serverable content within data communications networks.
2. Description of the Related Art
A growing number of people now utilize computer networks, such as the Internet, to obtain information hosted at various web servers. This information may be a file or a webpage, which are often accessible via entry by a user of a file request (i.e. file identifying information or a universal resource locator—URL) within a client browser. In order to access the information, however, the user must first connect to the network using a computing device.
With the proliferation of mobile computers and portable personal devices, such as cell phones, PDAs, and the like (all collectively referred to herein as personal computing devices—PCDs), one area of development has been the implementation of server networks accessible via access points—in the form of either wireless access points implementing the 802.11 Wireless Ethernet protocol (“WiFi”), or hardwired Ethernet connection ports—in public and/or private locations (i.e., away from a home or office base). These access points enable a mobile user with a PCD to sign in and access information that may be located on a server of the server network or on the Internet. Each such access via the server network is routed through one of the web servers, which is often connected to the Internet. Also, the web servers are frequently connected to a centralized administrative and/or CAC server that operates as a control and/or monitoring point for the server network.
Companies that provide these server networks and/or access points, such as Wayport, Inc., a Texas corporation, have provided a vast network of such access points and a server network with specific content available at specific servers by user requests. Each of these access points are linked to specific web servers of potentially thousands of web servers interconnected in the server network. The web servers are typically loaded with web-servable content by service provider technical personnel or business partners or customers who desire specific content on specific ones of the web servers. This content is stored in a storage facility, such as a filesytem, associated with the particular web server. Once the user has completed the sign in procedure at the web server, which may entail perusing/interacting with one or more login pages (e.g., “Welcome” or information pages), the user may search for web-servable content (e.g., files) by entering a search term (or request) into the client browser of the user's device.
When a user request is made for retrieval of a file, the web server to which the user's PCD is connected utilizes an internal search function and proceeds to check for the file within the web server's file system. This process utilizes hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), which is the protocol supported by the web servers, the network, and the Internet. As an integral part of its core specification, HTTP defines a number of “Status Codes” through which a web server communicates its baseline response to any client requesting any particular item of web-servable content from its filesystem. While not specifically defined as part-and-parcel of the HTTP specification, most webserver applications provide the capability to react programmatically to any or all such “Status Codes,” internally, at any point (or combination of points) before, during and after the server communicates any response to the requesting client for any specific file. One of the Status Codes defined by the HTTP specification is the HTTP Status Code of “404”—defined by HTTP as meaning that the requested file was “Not Found” on the responding webserver.
With conventional implementation of server network systems, such as that provided by Wayport, this 404: Not found error/status code is triggered whenever the web servable content of the particular web server to which the user device is connected does not include a requested file (e.g., a matching Request-URL) in its file system. However, because of the vast network of servers, each geographically dispersed and custom fitted for different customers or business partners, providing a large array of web-servable content on each server becomes costly. The manpower required to update each of these servers has traditionally also been prohibitive. Updates to the web server and web servable content are typically provided by the network administrator, who may actually have the requested file physically loaded on the specific server.
With the advent of the centralized administrative and/or content (CAC) server, the administrator has been able to push content to specific servers from a single central location. This content is typically stored on the CAC server or an associated database. However, because the local web servers are not designed to host a massive amount of content, the administrator does not load content on a server unless the administrator is made aware that the content is needed. Also, since only certain data is actually required by users of the particular web server, it is difficult for the administrator to determine which content to actually provide to the particular server, unless a request is made. Unfortunately, such requests are only made after a user has received a 404: Not Found error in response to his request for particular content at the web server. Thus, it is not uncommon for a file request to receive a 404:Not found error/status, when the file is not yet loaded by the administrator on that particular web server, even though the requested file may actually be available at the CAC server.